Choral Music at....the Superbowl???

Not sure if anyone watched it, but there was a nice moment during the pre-game show where the combined four choirs of the American miltary performed the National Anthem. (Yeah, no wailing, improvising, endless "interpretations" this year....it was "no surprises and right down the middle, content-wise.)

For a split second, I naively thought: How the HELL are they going to mic (and amplify) so many people spread out all over the 50 yard line and make it sound like anything? (There was also the Marine Band (??) drum and bugle corp - at least I THINK that's what it was....with very flashy and extened trumpets - longer bells and mouthpieces, with banners hanging on them, etc.)

Then it dawned on me they were going to lip-sync to a track (which was really the only way they could pull off the sound that came out...) There was a conductor (probably with an in-ear monitor rig) who cued it all (no pitches assigned, either....I doubt anyone could have heard it in the din.)

The music started on a dime, and the attack/pitch/intonation was perfect. After they got through the traditional main portion of the anthem, the brass then went "live" (at least I think it was, judging by the sound quality) and they all came back in for a coda/repeated last refrain of the national anthem. (Something you don't often hear at something so impatient as the start of the superbowl).

There were a couple of very small, slimline mics (C4s? 451s? out in front as well, but there was no way in the world THAT pickup was coming out of my speakers. All in all, the sound was pretty darn amazing (for the entire event, not just the choir portion). I have to give those people credit: If you throw enough money at something, occasionally it DOES work out. (Yes, it was in full glorious surround sound, NO, the Eagles did NOT win, and yes, the Grammies are on next week, :lol: also in Surround...)

BTW., I can't be sure, but I THOUGHT I saw an Octava mic on the hi-hat of McCartney's drummer during the halftime show. (Have to go back and check the tape.) It was only a split second, but it sure looked like their flared-top element in the shot....

I dunno, most of the performers were live- amazing stuff actually. I just like the fact that the choir was doing a dedication for Ray Charles and the blind- so what did they do? Sign language of course!

yes, Macca and co. were ABSOLUTELY Live, while Alicia Keys (I think that's who it was, with the blind/deaf kids) sang to an obviously pre-recorded music bed/track. A little creepy to see they brought Ray back from the dead already. He's hardly cold in the ground, fer cryin out loud....AND they plugged his last three CDs, too! No shame at all, anymore! :evil:

The opening Acts - Charlie Daniels Band and Gretchen -(??), Black-Eyed Peas & EW&F were also live, for the most part, at least as far as I could tell...

Given the side of the pond that I live on, I've never seen the Super Bowl, but I can imagine the logistics of something like that would be pretty daunting.

Has anyone ever noticed that for most big events Audio Technica and Sennheiser turn on their propaganda machines? Things like 'AT at the Grammy's', or 'Sennheiser do the Olympics opening ceremony' adorn their websites. Haven't seen anything about this Super Bowl though.

I could be wrong, but I believe Sennheiser said they had to co-ordinate 350 radio mics in Athens last year for the opening ceremony. Scary!